Remarks
Sugonjaev & Gordh (1981) presented a key to the Holarctic species, Trjapitzin & Myartsen (2004) to the species of Mexico, Central America, West Indies & Bermuda, and Noyes (2010) to the Costa Rica species. Noyes (2010) notes that the white hind tarsus is a stable character for separating E. aurantii (and presumably E. infelix) from other species, while Sugonjaev & Gordh (1981) report the hind tarsus of E. fuscus is similarly marked. Specimens referable to E. fuscus appear to be the most common Encyrtus taxon in the state, but there are single specimens from Plumas County (RLZC) and Los Angeles and Ventura counties (LACM) that agree in all respects with E. fuscus, except the hind tarsus is uniformly dark. Essig’s (1958) figure #708 of E. fuscus (as E. californicus), has a white hind basitarsus, which is probably erroneous. The similarity of E. fuscus with E. infelix is quite striking, and I suspect these may ultimately prove to be synonyms. Encyrtus fuliginosus Compere, 1940 was imported from South Africa in 1937 and released in southern California for the biocontrol of Saissetia oleae, but failed to establish (Bartlett, 1978). In 1953, a species tentatively identified as E. infidus (Rossi, 1790), was introduced from Japan in a biocontrol program against Eulecanium kunoense and released in Contra Costa County (Clausen, 1955). A single individual collected in Contra Costa County in June 1953 (EMEC) represents the only specimen recovered.